Greater New Orleans

Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office investigators say Viloude Louis, 5, died of injuries she received at the hands of her brother, Devalon Armstrong, 13, both of Terrytown. Devalon has been booked with second-degree murder.
(Vilger Louis)

Vilger Louis, 56, says that when his 5-year-old daughter, Viloude, was born, seven weeks premature, she was tiny. "She weighed 1.75 pounds," he said Tuesday as he cupped his hands together, recalling how he held her moments after her birth. She spent several tense days at Miami Children's Hospital before she was able to join her family at home.

Armstrong fatally injured his little sister while practicing wrestling moves on her in the Terrytown apartment the family shared, according to Col. John Fortunato, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. The 13-year-old was arrested Monday and booked with second-degree murder after an autopsy revealed that Viloude died of severe blunt trauma, which included broken ribs, a lacerated liver and internal bleeding.

"It's really hard," Alourdes Desvallons whispered when asked about her son's arrest and his alleged role in Viloude's death.

Girl found unconscious on bathroom floor

Paramedics found the little girl lying unconscious on the bathroom floor of the family's apartment, in the 700 block of Carrollwood Village Drive in Terrytown, on Sunday about 1:30 p.m. They took Viloude to Ochsner Medical Center's West Bank campus in unincorporated Gretna, and she was pronounced dead a short time later.

Viloude Louis, 5.Photo courtesy of Vilger Louis

With no outward signs of injury other than a bruise on her elbow, investigators left her death unclassified. Desvallons told investigators that she had left Viloude at home in her brother's care while she went to the store, Fortunato said.

Devalon said his sister had complained of a stomach ache. It was he who called 911 when he noticed she was not breathing, authorities have said.

But in a follow-up interview with the teenager on Monday, homicide Detective Matt Vasquez discovered that the boy had left out a few key details about what happened before Viloude got sick. Devalon said he had had been practicing World Wrestling Entertainment-style moves on his little sister, according to Fortunato.

He apparently picked up his sister, slammed her on the bed and punched her in the stomach several times, Fortunato said. He also practiced several elbow drops, jumping and landing on Viloude with his elbow, Fortunato said.

She told her brother she was in pain, but he continued to slam, punch and elbow her for at least two to three more minutes before he stopped to take a phone call from their mother, Fortunato said.

Armstrong told the detective he knew that televised wrestling such as WWE is fake. But Vasquez noted that the boy smiled and appeared to enjoy talking about the wrestling moves and the physical abuse, Fortunato said.

The Sheriff's Office classified Viloude's death as a homicide after the autopsy revealed the hidden injuries she suffered.

'She was my best sister'

Vilger Louis said the past few days have been extremely difficult for the family. But members of Marrero Seventh-Day Adventist Church, where the family worships, have been visiting every day in shifts, to comfort them and help with meals.

On Tuesday, a collection of stuffed animals and balloons sat on the family's doorstep. Louis brought out a large photo of Viloude, taken when she turned 5 last year, but moved it out of Desvallons' sight when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

Viloude was a chatty little girl who loved to sing. "She sang all day long," her mother said. "She liked to go and play at the park. She liked to go to the beach."

Older sister Christelle Louis, 11, happily talked about Viloude and their playtime pretending to be princesses or celebrities. She also confirmed her sister's love of singing: "Me and Viloude's dream is being superstar singers," she beamed. "We would always be singing in the church, in the bathroom."

The two often squabbled over who would get to perform as Viloude's favorite singer, Alicia Keys. "We decided both of us could be Alicia Keys," Christelle said.

Viloude spent many a day belting out her favorite song, Keys' "Girl On Fire." Christelle called Viloude her first best friend. "She was very nice and sweet and wonderful. She was my best sister that I ever had," Christelle said.

Showers of kisses

Louis said he will never forget the way Viloude insisted on showering him with kisses when she greeted him. "She would come and kiss me all over my face," he said. "She would have to kiss my fingers, my face, and say 'Daddy, I love you.'"